After You're GoneChapter 1
by The-Scarlet-Lady
Summary: The entwined stories of Pirate King Elizabeth Turner, Flying Dutchman's Captain William Turner, and Captain Jack Sparrow after At World's End. Filled with love, loss, and adventure.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three weeks since the incident on the Flying Dutchman, three weeks since she'd seen Will. She missed him so much, her heart felt like a cannon ball in her chest. She didn't go near the water anymore in fear of drowning from the weight of it. Most of her days were spent roaming listlessly around the island where she last saw him. Her favorite spot was the spot where Will left her, a rocky beach made private by the cliffs that nearly surrounded it. A lot of her time was spent staring off the cliffs that surrounded the island, sometimes thinking of jumping. Most of her nights, especially in the last week, were spent bawling her eyes out until she passed out from the emotional exhaustion. She lost any desire she might have once had for finery, good food, and pleasurable company. Jack was the only person that she could want to see but she hadn't seen him since the incident either.

This day was much like any other. Elizabeth woke up a few hours after dawn. She put on a ratty red dress. At least, it could be called a red dress because red was the majority color on it. In actuality, it was impossible to tell what the original color was because of all the patches used to repair it. She ate her breakfast—a slice of stale bread and a glass of dirty tasting water. She pulled on her worn leather boots that were left over from her pirating days and set out on her usual walk around the island.

It was around midday and she was half way around the island when she saw a ship approaching. She knew it couldn't be Will, that he wouldn't be back for 49 weeks and nine years, yet her heart clamored in her chest with excitement anyway. 'What if it is him,' asked one part of her brain. 'What if he figured out a way to get off?" However, she knew it wouldn't be true. Davy Jones had been on that ship for who knows how long and he couldn't find any way to free him, and Calypso was in love with him. No, she knew it wasn't Will. Still, she was happily surprised and surprisingly happy when she saw Jack in a dinghy heading for shore. Her hand stretched up and waved on its own will and her voice somehow managed to bellow out a happy greeting.

"Ahoy, Jack!"

"Hello, Elizabeth." His voice sounded as though it were full of uncontainable laughter, as if he couldn't believe she was being so childlike.

"It's so good to see you. I haven't seen anyone since…" Her voice trailed off as her mind drifted back to memories, happy and sad, but both brought sharp pangs to her chest.

"I know. That's why I came, love! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist throwing yourself at me." An impish grin flashed on his face and, once again, she felt happy. It felt oh so good to feel happy again. With Jack around, she was somehow able to forget the noxious weight in her chest. As soon as the dinghy reached the shore and Jack stepped out, Elizabeth rushed up to him and almost knocked him over with an embrace. She held on tightly, burying her face in his jacket, while tears quietly streamed out of the corners of her eyes.

"You know, that 'throwing yourself at me' thing was just a joke. If this is some sort of offer, I'm going to have to refuse. Will would kill me if he found out." He said it jokingly but she knew that his last two statements were serious. He put his arms around her, gave her a squeeze, but immediately let her go, as though she were a burning coal in his arms. She slowly released him and backed up a few steps to give them some breathing room. The smile had left his face, and he was peering into her eyes.

"Are you alright?" His concern for her was obvious, as was his pain for causing her troubles.

"As much as I can be… And much better now that you are here." she said smiling. "Let's not stand here anymore. We have a lot to catch up on, or at least I have a lot to catch up on the great adventures by the amazing Captain Jack Sparrow." She held out her arm and he took it, gesturing for her to lead the way. "I must ask, what have you been up to?"

"Well, as you may already know, I stole a map from Barbossa. The one you, Will, and the crew used to rescue me from the Locker? I think it also leads to…" Elizabeth could no longer distinguish the words; they all ran together to make a strange guttural buzzing noise. Her attention was brought elsewhere. In a matter of seconds, she had slight nausea, which quickly progressed to such severe nausea that she thought vomiting would be a relief. She opened her mouth to speak, to vomit, to do anything, but the nausea made it impossible. She belatedly realized that she had stopped walking and that, once again, Jack was looking at her with concern.

"What's wrong? Elizabeth? Are you ok?" Her relief of being able to actually hear what he was saying surprised her. Again, she tried to speak.

"It's just my stomach." She somehow managed to gasp out the words, but as soon as the last word left her lips, Jack swept her up into his arms and began carrying her.

"Which way to your house? And how far?" She pointed in front of them, indicating that it was straight ahead, hidden behind the rolling hills that often reminded her of the ocean. She wasn't able to articulate an answer, but he figured it wasn't far. The most important thing on his mind was to get her somewhere where she could lie down. 'That's what I'm supposed to do… right?' he wondered.

After fifteen minutes of trying to navigate the strangely disorientating hills, Jack finally found her house. If you could call it that. He looked down at her and was glad when he discovered she was unconscious; he didn't want her to see the look of disgust on his face. It was a pity that someone who had once lived in a grand mansion should now live in this pitiful place.

Her home was more like a cottage than a house. Even from the outside you could tell it only consisted of two small rooms. Ivy was climbing the walls but not in the cute way that it can; it seemed as though the ivy was malicious and attempting to tear down the walls. There was only one window and one of the panes of glass was broken.

He pushed the door open with his shoulder, noting that he didn't have to turn the knob to do so. Could it be locked? He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He'd worry about that later. The front room seemed to be a kitchen as well as a living room, dining room, and parlor. It was all very shabby. There was a low, wobbly table that he supposed was used for dining. It was accompanied by one small fragile wooden chair. The only other furniture in the room was a torn up cushioned chair and an abused rug in front of the fireplace. He was surprised that there was even a fireplace. He didn't remember seeing a chimney.

Jack carried Elizabeth into the other room that was separated from this one by just a sheet tacked over an open doorway. Inside this room was a small bed that looked better suited for a child than a full grown woman, a washstand, and a faded and scratched dresser. He carefully set her down on the bed, sat down beside it, and patiently waited for her to regain consciousness. He didn't wait long. In a minute or so, she was back with the world. He was immediately at her side.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am now. I'm not sure what just happened. I was listening to you, and then all of a sudden I was nauseous. I'm sorry to have interrupted your story. Do go on."

He laughed sarcastically. "You just mysteriously felt sick and now you want me to go on with my story? I've never before thought of you as an imbecile, but now I am having second thoughts."

"I felt sick. I'm not anymore. I don't see why this is a problem. Will you just tell me your story?"

He got the sense that she didn't want to talk about what had just happened because she would probably be lead into a discussion about the poor state of her affairs, and who wants to hear from someone else how their life is in a downward spiral? So he went on with his story if only to distract her from her own life.

"Well, as I said, I stole the map from Barbossa. I was fiddling around with it because it's such an unusual thing, and I think I've discovered another destination in it!" He paused for effect; it worked. Her unbridled excitement was sparkling in her eyes. "The Fountain of Youth. I thought that'd be interesting to you… and perhaps appealing." The answer to that was clearly written in her face. Yes, it was appealing to her. She wanted eternity to spend with Will; that way, the ten years of waiting wouldn't seem quite so long or so bad. She felt like she was about to burst with emotion. Excitement, nervousness, and anticipation were bubbling up inside of her, forcing their way out as a laugh that more resembled a cackle.

"When are you setting out?"


	2. Chapter 2

The question burned in the air.

"I'm not sure… That's why I came here first. I thought you might want to come, and I wanted to make sure you'd be able."

"You… You actually _want_ me to come with you? That doesn't sound like you, Jack. You seem different. What has changed? And why?"

"For the first few days after I made your dearest William become captain of the Dutchman, I felt something I never felt before. I couldn't identify it. You know what it was?" Elizabeth shook her head. "It was remorse, love. I felt bad about almost causing Will's death in the first place. I felt bad about separating you two for ten years, only to see each other for one day, and then being separated again. I decided to become sober for the first time since I've been a pirate. That has prominently changed the way I act. So yes, I want you to come with me because I want to fix the problem I caused in any way I can, even if it is only a slight relief."

"That's really sweet, Jack—"

"But after your incident, I'm not sure you are well enough to go on the trip."

"Oh, come off it. I'm sure it was just a bit of nausea caused by my nasty breakfast. Honestly, I don't think a starving rat would have eaten what I had. Please, Jack. I need to get off this island for a while, get my thoughts away from Will."

"Love, if your thoughts were off of Will, we'd be in a bunch of trouble." He smiled devilishly at her as he delivered the joke. "Okay. I give. I'll take you with me. But I'm going to leave it up to you whether your thoughts… wander." She gave him a look that said, 'whatever!' and rolled her eyes. She jumped up out of bed and started rifling through the chest of drawers. Jack sat on the bed and watched in amazement as Elizabeth threw clothes everywhere. Decent clothes, not like the dress she was wearing now. Every once in a while, a dress would come out that was as fancy as the one she was wearing when he first met her at Port Royal. He smiled at the memory. Ah, the good ole days.

"Well I'll let you get packed. Meet me tomorrow at the same spot that I came to today. I'll bring you aboard the Pearl and we can set off in a few days." Elizabeth kept ransacking her chest of drawers but nodded to let him know she heard. He chuckled slightly before leaving.

* * *

The next morning, Elizabeth's eyes flew open; her hands flitted to her mouth. She leaned away from her bed and vomited on the floor. Shaking, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and looked out of her window through which the morning light was shining. Her violent nausea had instantly roused her from sleep and, just as quickly, passed. She was stumped as to why, but was very glad that her bag was too far away to have gotten any vomit on it. It would have taken forever to get the smell out of her clothes, and weeks stuck with vomit smelling clothes on a ship would have been worse torture than staying on the island.

She lay back on the bed. Even though she went to bed early, she was still tired, and didn't feel like getting up. 'Jack can wait a while, so why not go back to sleep?' she thought. Her eyes fluttered closed. In a few moments, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

"Ugh, where is she?" Jack wondered aloud. He was expecting her in the morning but now it was midday and she still hadn't shown up. Did she forget where he was? Had she changed her mind? No, it couldn't be that. Was she hurt, then? The longer he stood there wondering, the more worried he became for Elizabeth's well being. Maybe she had fainted as she had yesterday? He couldn't bear it anymore. He started off in the direction in which he believed her house was and began searching the island. It took him about a half an hour to get there, but he found it, and immediately went inside. He released a sigh of relief when he saw her asleep on her bed, and bent to wake her.

"Out of bed, sleepy head. Morning was a few hours ago." She yawned and looked at him groggily, taking a few minutes to register who he was and why he was there.

"Oh! I woke up earlier, and I didn't feel well… I was still tired, so I took a nap."

"Couldn't sleep? Thoughts of me keeping you awake perhaps?" A slow, sly grin eased its way onto his face. Her heart started beating faster at the sight of it, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. She answered his grin with a raised brow and a disapproving shake of her head. He shrugged as if to say, 'you aren't having erotic thoughts about me? Oh well. I'll live.'

"Let's go then, eh, love? No reason to stick around here for longer than absolutely necessary." He reached out his hand to her and helped her out of bed. She grabbed her bags.

"Off we go then," she said. Without waiting for him, she waltzed right out the front door. He followed, shaking his head and laughing under his breath. They were both silent on the walk to the rowboat and on the ride to the Pearl.

"Welcome aboard, Mrs. Turner!" Elizabeth smiled as Gibbs pulled her up. It felt good to see the crew of the Pearl again even under the circumstances. The gentle rocking of the Pearl was soothing after the weeks on dry land. She had been feeling a bit nauseous but now she felt loads better. Her dress felt a little too tight across her chest, but she was going to switch into her loose, flowing pirate clothing as soon as she could. A stunning realization hit her. Knowing nowhere else to turn, she looked at Jack. He was confused by the mix of alarm and happiness in her eyes and knew he needed to talk to her in private. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his cabin.

"Elizabeth, what is it?"

"I-I think I'm pregnant!"

"Will is the father?"

She laughed. "Of course he is! I'm not as naughty as you might wish me to be." She winked.

"Hm… do you want him to know?"

"How could I…" she hesitated. "Could you let him know?"

Jack nodded. "Of course. But only if you want me to. A kid could be one hell of a surprise for him when you see him."

She thought about it for a minute. "No, don't tell him. I want him to be surprised. Our reunion will be more joyous for it."

He nodded again. "Well, I suppose that you will want to get some rest, due to your condition. I have a few stops I want to make before we start on our journey to the Fountain of Youth. That could take up to two weeks. Feel free to make the Pearl your home. I'll show you the map when we're all stocked up. Don't drink all of my rum." He smirked and left the cabin.

She sat down on the bed. A look of incredulity graced her face, as well as joy. She was pregnant! There was sadness in the mix of emotions as well. Yes, she was pregnant, but the father wouldn't be around except for one day every ten years. What child could deal with that without having some sort of emotional scars? Her hands went protectively to her still-flat belly. She knew she would figure it out, and was comforted by the fact that she knew Jack would help. He never said it, but she knew that he would. A smile flew to her lips. Things were going to become very interesting in the upcoming months.


	3. Chapter 3

The Pearl sailed aimlessly across the ocean, going only to port when it was absolutely needed. Jack had a plan; he was just waiting to execute it. It took a few days for him to get his chance, but finally Elizabeth took his advice and decided to take a nap. As soon as he was sure she was sound asleep, he went to the rail on the port side of the Pearl.

"Calypso," he called, as if she were right in front of him. A ghostly apparition of a Jamaican woman rose from the sea.

"Well, if it isn't de infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. I know ye're not callin' me just to have company. What is it that ye want?"

"I seek an audience with your new employee, a certain William Turner."

"Ah, Jack, what do ye be wanting wit 'im? Was it not enough that ye sentenced 'im to an eternity of service as de captain of the Dutchman?"

"I have good news for the lad. At least, I think it's good news. It's up to him, really, to decide that. Would you call him up for me? For old time's sakes?" He flashed a grin and winked.

"Don't ye be thinking that flirting will get you anywhere with me, Jack Sparrow! I'll get 'im 'ere, but only if ye tell me the news you are planning to give 'im."

"Alright, then… His dearest Elizabeth is expecting a child… _His_ child."

Calypso nodded. "I'll call 'im up for you, but don't torture the poor soul. Ye've done enough ta 'im already." Her body sank back down and rejoined the sea. In a matter of seconds, the Flying Dutchman emerged from the water. Since Will became the captain and ferried the souls as he was supposed to do, the seaweed that once covered the ship was gone, and once again it resembled a normal ship. It was no longer the ominous ship that it had been when Davy Jones was captain. Only those who had seen it before who recognize it for what it was. It pulled up next to the Pearl and stopped as only a ghost ship could. Jack jumped across the small gap between the two ships to board the Dutchman. Will was waiting on board.

"Jack! It's so good to see you." Will pulled Jack into an embrace that reminded Jack of the day on the beach with Elizabeth.

"I can honestly say that your joy to see me is surprising. Have you forgotten so quickly that I was the one who bound you to this fate?"

"Only to save me from death."

"But it was my fault that you were on that ship anyway. If I hadn't dragged you into this mess so long ago…"

"I'm over it, Jack. You should get over it too. But you wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes, I have some news. You might consider it good news, but with your current situation you may not think so. Take it as you will, though."

"Enough evasions, Jack. What is it?"

"It's Elizabeth, she…"

"Is she okay? What happened?"

"Calm down. She's, uh…" Jack tried to think of a delicate way to break the news. "She's… expecting."

"Expecting? Expecting what?"

Jack looked at Will, slightly embarrassed that he was the one telling Will. Will saw the embarrassment and realized what Jack had meant. Fury turned his fair features into a foul expression.

"You- you.. with her?! How could you, Jack! She's my wife!"

Jack backtracked, thinking about what he said. What gave Will the impression that Jack had… with Elizabeth? Did Will really think he would, or that _she_ would?

"No, Will. I visited her for the first time three weeks after you became captain of the Dutchman. When she was _three weeks pregnant_." He gave Will a significant look as he said the last three words to try to get his meaning across. Relief crossed Will's face as he got Jack's meaning, which was quickly replaced by joy and then acute pain.

"My child… And I won't see him for ten years…" Will turned away to hide his tears from Jack. He didn't want Jack to see him cry, but even though the news was meant to be joyous, Will couldn't help but feel despair. Staying away from Elizabeth for that long was unimaginable and painful enough, but to know he was going to have a child and miss out on its life… Its first steps… Its first words… The first nine years of its life, and then a decade forever after…

"Don't worry about their safety; Elizabeth's or the child's. I'll take care of them for you. That way you'll know that they will be waiting when you come to visit every ten years."

Will quickly wiped his tears away and turned around. "Why? For as long as I've known you, you never do anything selfless, but taking care of them would only help other people. Why are you offering to do this?"

"I've changed, Will. I feel guilty for what I've done to you and Elizabeth, and I want to try to make up for it, even though I can never fix what I've done. Let me do this for you, for Elizabeth, and most of all, your child. I won't ever let them go wanting for anything so they will be in a much better situation than if Elizabeth had stayed on that deserted island that you left her on. No offense."

Will still felt uneasy about it, like he knew he was going to lose everything if he let Jack go through with it, but he had no other choice. He felt much better trusting Elizabeth to Jack's care than leaving her alone on the island. There was still that nagging feeling at the back of his mind…

"Alright. Take care of her for me. But if she isn't on the island when I come to visit her in ten years, I will hunt you down. You can trust me on that."

Jack gave a small, slow nod in agreement. "I'd expect no less… Well, I need to go. We haven't made port in a while and we need to restock our supplies. I'll see you later, I suppose."

"Goodbye, Jack."

Jack jumped back onto the Black Pearl and watched as the Dutchman sailed away before it plunged back into the sea, the hull, sails, and mast slipping out of view in a few quick seconds. He silently prayed that he could protect Elizabeth. It would be hard to do that before she gave birth, especially if they went on their journey to find the Fountain of Youth. After mulling the matter over in his mind, he decided he'd put off the adventure until after the child was born, no matter what arguments she might put forth. He did _not_ want another Black Spot.

***

Over the next nine months, Jack took great care of Elizabeth. They made port more times than Jack liked; it made it more likely that he would be arrested and hanged. Elizabeth wished they could stop more, and for more substantial lengths of time, because travel was hard for her, even on the Pearl. It also made it more difficult for her to satisfy her cravings, which were sometimes very odd. To keep from being recognized as pirates when they came into ports, Jack would pose as a rich merchant from Spain and Elizabeth acted the part of his British wife. When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth to her son, Nathaniel, their false identities granted her a better lodging than she could have hoped for. To his credit, Jack stayed throughout the whole birthing ordeal, which helped serve their image as husband and wife and also was a comfort to Elizabeth. When Nathaniel was a few months old, Jack re-opened the subject of the Fountain of Youth, asking if she was ready to go on the adventure at last.

Smiling, she asked, "Do we have a heading?"

CHAPTER 4 PREVIEW / TEASER

She [Elizabeth] was stopped mid-sentence by the absence of whirring from the compass. Carefully and slowly she looked down, almost as if looking down too fast would send the needle spinning again. It was pointing… at Jack. 'Oh,' she thought, 'that must be the direction of the Fountain of Youth.' But when Jack moved to another spot in his impossible quest of finding dry wood for the fire, the needle followed him.


	4. Chapter 4

It was nighttime, and Elizabeth leaned against the starboard rail of the Black Pearl. She had put little Nate to bed about an hour ago and was glad for the silence. She stood there, looking at the dark ocean, which seemed more mysterious now than in the daytime. She contemplated the things she had done and decisions she had made in the past few years. Her life had been boring up till that day she decided to wear what she thought was a pirate medallion. That was the day that Commodore Norrington proposed to her, the day when she was rescued from drowning by Jack, and was kidnapped by Barbossa and his crew. That day changed her forever.

After that day, every aspect of her life dealt with pirates. First, pirates were holding her captive. Then pirates saved her. Then the love of her life ended up becoming a pirate, like his father. Then pirates kept her from getting married. Then pirates caused her to be separated from and later reunited with Will. Then a pirate caused a rift between her and Will, after which they made up; yet another pirate married Elizabeth and Will and so made their bond stronger. Then a certain pirate saved Will's life, but in doing so, condemned him to eternity at sea. Now, Elizabeth was off on an adventure—with that same pirate! She chuckled softly to herself.

"Pirates it is, then," she whispered to the night, "I certainly won't get bored."

She stood up straight and walked to the cabin she and Jack had been sharing. After knocking and hearing the answer "enter", she went inside.

Jack laughed quietly, not wanting to disturb Nathaniel who was sleeping in a crib in the corner. "How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to knock," he whispered.

"I don't know… I just don't feel right coming in without knocking first. I don't want to intrude or anything."

"We've been sharing this room since you stepped onto the ship. How much longer will it take for you to realize that you don't need to worry about intruding on me? Don't you know me well enough yet?"

"Sorry. I won't knock anymore. What kind of a pirate gets annoyed by knocking?" Her eyes twinkled with merriment at her own joke, while her gut simmered with the intimacy of the statement.

"The dignified ones." He puffed up his chest and looked around sternly.

Elizabeth giggled, then nodded her head at papers on Jack's desk. "Looking at the map?"

"Yes. I was hoping the Fountain of Youth was on an island in the Caribbean so that I could continue to get away with being a Spanish merchant, but it seems that we aren't so lucky."

"Where is it, then?"

"…Florida. _Spanish_ Florida. Savvy?"

"Ah… I see. What will we do?"

"I'm not sure. We've got a few weeks to figure that out before we reach the southern tip of Florida. It isn't densely populated down there, but we do run the risk of being apprehended by some Spaniard."

"That doesn't sound too dangerous considering the other sort of things we have dealt with in the past. It cannot be nearly as bad as, oh say, swashbuckling with Davy Jones?"

"You have a point there... I guess we'll just wing it. It's late. You should go sleep."

"Well what about you?"

"_I'm_ fine. You, on the other hand, need rest." He nodded towards Nathaniel's crib. "That scallywag there who is pretending to be a sweet, innocent baby, wears you out with all of his adventures. Sleep while you can. He'll be awake before you can say 'treasure'."

Elizabeth nodded. She could feel the bags under her eyes and her eyelids felt like gold galleons. She climbed into the bed and fell asleep in a few seconds. Jack watched her slumbering form and imagined for just a second that she was his wife and that Nathaniel was his child. No matter how much he wished for that, he knew it would never come true, and he knew he could never do that to Will. He watched her sleep for a few minutes more before blowing out the candle on his desk and bunking down for the night. He lay on his uncomfortable bed of blankets, thinking for a few minutes about what-ifs before falling into a troubled sleep.

***

The white sandy shores of Florida appeared slowly, first as a black inkblot of land on the horizon then slowly growing into view as if the land was leisurely eating away at the ocean. When the Pearl drew closer, Elizabeth thought it looked almost like the islands in the Caribbean but for the swampier areas that lay a bit inland. There were no Spanish settlements to be seen nor were there any ships in sight. It seemed like good old Captain Jack still had a bit of luck left in him.

"But how long will that last?" she wondered aloud.

"Will what last?" Jack asked. He walked up beside her where she stood at her favorite spot on the starboard rail. He chuckled inwardly when she jumped at the sound of his voice. "A bit jumpy today? Nervous?"

"Excited, actually. I was wondering if our luck would last. It seems that there are no people here, Spanish or otherwise."

"Well, since we know appearances won't matter today, you should really change into something more… comfortable. It could get a little dirty."

Elizabeth smirked but headed back to the cabin to change. Jack let out the air he'd been holding in. He didn't think Elizabeth could tell, but it was getting harder for him to be around her. Frequently she would breast-feed Nathan in front of him, mostly because he assured her it was okay with him, but it was difficult to have her do it in front of him. What really tugged his heartstrings, though, was Nathan. Usually Nathan would respond only to his mother's voice, but last night he cooed when Jack spoke to him.

Nathan was adorable and Jack couldn't help loving the boy, but he also couldn't help being reminded of Will and how Will would never see his baby or have his baby coo at the sound of his voice. Jack knew that he, not Will, would end up being the father figure in the boy's life. But would that be a good thing? Wouldn't that just confuse Nathan when he met his father?

This all bothered Jack to no end, but what was worse was how much he loved Elizabeth. She loved Will, loved Will from the moment she laid eyes on him. But given the separation, would that be enough? Would one day be sufficient emotional release to last a decade? Could it keep her from giving in to the intense sorrow he knew she felt; the sorrow that she cried herself to sleep with on the harder nights?

He already knew the answer to those questions; it was no. He wanted to save her from this miserable destiny! So often he wished that she had loved him instead, but not only for selfish reasons (although to say his reasons were entirely unselfish would be a lie). He wanted her to be happy, and he knew she never could be totally happy as long as she pined away for Will.

He sighed the deep, mournful sigh of a man condemned to walk the earth alone. When a large hand gripped his shoulder, he whipped around, but was relieved when he saw that it was just Mr. Gibbs.

"We've come as close to shore as we can, Cap'n, and have a boat ready to take you and Mrs. Turner ashore."

"Thank you, Gibbs. I'll go fetch Elizabeth."

***

Elizabeth entered the cabin, closed the door, and leaned against it. She was breathing hard and fast and her heart was pounding. Jack seemed to have a knack for sneaking up on her, so she needed to stop thinking aloud even when she thought she was alone. What kind of horrible things would he think about her if he knew how much she wanted him?

Stepping away from the door, she made a conscious effort to relax and slow down her breathing. It was okay, because now they had arrived in Florida and once they found the Fountain of Youth she and Jack could go their separate ways and she wouldn't be tempted anymore… Or would she? Oh, she had no idea. The only thing she was sure of was that it had never been a good idea to leave with Jack.

She sighed, slowly slipping off one of the more casual gowns she had brought with her (it was annoying when she milked through the good ones) and taking out her male pirate clothes. The once-loose brown suede pants were now a bit tight, and she frowned slightly as she ran her hands over her not-so-flat stomach. She was far from fat; working occasionally as a deckhand had helped her lose plenty of the pregnancy weight, but she still wasn't back to her original size. Her breasts had become a bit bigger from the milk, but she wasn't complaining.

The door behind her opened and she froze. There was a bit of uncomfortable coughing before she heard Jack say, "The, uh, boat is ready to, uh, take us to the uh, shore." She nodded slightly and winced when the door closed. She gave him credit for not slamming it. Quickly, she slipped on her shirt and buckled on her boots and sword belt. For extra effect, she put on one of Jack's spare hats.

When she exited the cabin, Elizabeth noticed that Jack seemed flustered and wouldn't look at her. She supposed he was angry, but had no clue why he would be. Maybe he was mad that she didn't get dressed speedily enough? Whatever the case, he didn't make eye contact till they had almost reached the shore in their little dinghy.

"My apologies, Elizabeth. If I'd have known… I should have knocked." The blush that spread across his face like an inferno let her know that he hadn't been mad, just embarrassed.

"Jack, don't be silly. Weren't you the one who said I shouldn't knock? You stayed with me when I gave birth to Nathaniel and have seen me breastfeed him. Was walking in when I was changing really so terrible?" She gave him a quizzical look as his blush intensified. 'What is wrong with him,' she wondered. He was glad that they reached the shore just then because it gave him an excuse for not responding to her question. He found a rock and swiftly tied the dinghy to it.

While he did that, Elizabeth surveyed the land. Beyond the white sand dunes it looked very marshy. In fact, the place was a giant swamp, and it appeared daunting to her despite the tall leather boots she wore. The fact that the land as well as its dangers were unknown to her hadn't bothered her until now. Who knew what strange creatures they would run into? For the first time in a very long time, she was scared.

"I don't suppose you know any of the native animals, or at least the dangerous ones?" she inquired.

"Well, love," Jack replied, "I have heard stories from Barbossa about large, fast-swimming creatures that have nasty mouths full of sharp teeth. Frankly, having faced the Kraken myself, I'm not too worried about some six foot long land-dweller." When he walked up beside her and noticed her pale face, he figured he hadn't done much to quell her fears.

"Only thing left to do now, I guess," Elizabeth said. Jack was about to ask what when she took out the map, Jack's special compass, and started walking in the direction of where the Fountain of Youth was supposed to be. He shrugged and followed her without a word.

***

Barbossa scowled as he put away his spyglass. He had been surveying Florida's southern coast and did not like what he saw.

"The Black Pearl is here, which means Jack is here, which means we might not get to the Fountain of Youth first." The crew of the Scavenger groaned and murmured discontentedly. "But—all his crew appears to be aboard the Pearl, which means we might be able to… overpower him, if you get my meaning." They did get his meaning, and all had grins on their faces while lovingly touching their weapons. Barbossa laughed and his crewmen joined in while the made the boats ready to go ashore.

***

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction, Jack? We've been walking for hours and I don't see anything."

Jack stopped walking and turned around, waiting for her to catch up. They had been walking all day and Elizabeth, though she had led enthusiastically in the beginning, was now falling far behind. When she caught up, they both sat down and drank water from their flasks.

"It's going to be dark soon. I think we should start a fire and rest here tonight," Jack said. As he walked around picking up firewood, he asked, "Don't you still have my special compass? You can check to see if we are going in the right direction."

"All right." She took the compass out of her pocket and caressed it slightly while focusing on her infinite need and desire to find the Fountain of Youth. When she flipped it open, however, the needle was spinning in may directions, sometimes stopping casually in two directions before continuing in its mad spin. Elizabeth sighed and looked up at Jack. "I don't think—"

She was stopped mid-sentence by the absence of whirring from the compass. Carefully and slowly she looked down, almost as if looking down too fast would send the needle spinning again. It was pointing… at Jack. 'Oh,' she thought, 'that must be the direction of the Fountain of Youth.' But when Jack moved to another spot in his impossible quest of finding dry wood for the fire, the needle followed him.

"Having trouble over there?" Jack called.

"Uh, n-no, uh I'm alright, it's just uh… the compass isn't working."

"Not working, huh? Sounds to me, love, like you don't know what you want." The teasing tone of his voice aggravated Elizabeth to no end.

"Don't know what I want? _I _don't know what I _want?_! Listen here, Mister _Captain_ Jack Sparrow! I know what I want, what I've always wanted. I want to spend the rest of my life with Will, but thanks to you he is going to spend eternity on that hell-hole of a ship or until some raving lunatic stabs his heart. So now, because of you, I am stuck on some wild goose chase for an unnatural way to prolong my life just so I can spend more decades waiting to have a few day with the love of my life. Yes, well maybe I do want more than one thing and that's why the compass isn't working. I want to stab you in the heart, Jack Sparrow, so you can understand the tiniest bit of the pain I'm going through."

Elizabeth stared defiantly at Jack, daring him with her eyes to make some sort of come-back. But when all he would do was stare back with those dark eyes that were full of compassion, sorrow, and remorse, she threw herself upon the ground and burst into tears. He wanted to go to her, to comfort her, but he knew he was the enemy and that she wanted nothing to do with him right now.

Instead, he started a fire with the small amount of dry wood and twigs that he had collected. He sat by the fire, tending it, waiting for Elizabeth to say something—anything!—to him. Night fell, and some time later her sobs quieted until they were no more. Soon after, Jack realized she had fallen asleep. His eyelids grew heavy and he gave in to night's greatest temptress as well.

***

In the morning, neither Jack nor Elizabeth brought up the events of the day before. They continued heading inland following the compass and the map. To Elizabeth's relief, both were pointing in the same direction. The walk was long and uneventful but the further they went, the more forested and thickly vegetated it became. The going was getting tough but both welcomed it because it distracted their thoughts that had, until this point, been focused on the other person.

The continuous forest was broken by a clearing that was roughly the size of the deck of the Pearl with a few low bushes squatting here and there, each large enough to hide a petite person. Jack barely had enough time to register this before he heard crashing sounds and shouts in the thicket in front of them.

"Elizabeth, get behind that bush and don't come out until I tell you to!" Jack whispered urgently. She didn't even take the time to nod before she nimbly went to the bush and knelt close enough to the ground to sufficiently hide herself. He stepped forward so anyone who spoke to him face to face wouldn't be able to spot her. A group of surly face, disheveled, and unclean seamen stepped from the trees in from of him and formed an unorganized arc with the focal spot empty.

"Jack. You weren't thinking you could get away, now, were ye?" Jack watched as a familiar face emerged, a face that shared the identity of the familiar voiced that posed this question.

"Barbossa! So good to see you, mate. No hard feelings about me taking the map and then the Pearl, right? I mean, a friendship like ours, one between a captain (me) and his first mate (you) can never be spoiled by material goods, eh?" He followed this good-natured banter with a wink. Behind the bushes, Elizabeth was wondering if Jack still had his sanity.

Barbossa laughed a dark, haunting laugh that sent chills racing down Jack's spine and froze Elizabeth's heart. 'How,' she wondered, 'could the man who married Will and I just a year ago be so twisted?'

"There be no use trying to sweet talk me, Jack. I know what it is ye came here for, but until a moment ago I didn't realize you brought Turner's sweetheart into it. Tell me, why is she hiding behind that little bush?" Elizabeth stopped breathing for a second and felt as though her heart would stop as well. She would never guess that Jack was going through the same sensation.

"No need to bring her into this. It's between you and me."

"Protecting her, huh? Never would have expected it from you, Jack. But no, we wouldn't dare touch her for fear that an angry and grieving husband would blow us to bits the moment we set sail. We only came to get revenge before finding the Fountain of Youth and claiming it for ourselves."

"Terrific. It should be easy enough for you to accept my challenge, then."

A flash of light caught Barbossa's blue eyes, making them seem as though they were twinkling with interest and curiosity. "Challenge?"

"Yes, challenge. I was going to mention it earlier, but I'm afraid you interrupted me before I could do so." Jack finished his statement with a quick grin and a blank stare. After waiting a minute, Barbossa shook his head and bellowed, "Well what is the damned thing?"

Jack's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Just a simple duel, no need to get overexcited."

Barbossa chuckled. "I should have known. Name your terms."

"If you win, I'll let you peaceably go to the Fountain of Youth and not seek it for myself. I'll also return the Pearl to you, and you can do with it what you wish. However, if I happen to beat you, you and your men will leave without doing any further harm to myself, will leave the Fountain of Youth to my explorations, and will never bother me about the ownership of the Pearl again. Savvy?"

Elizabeth didn't think Barbossa would accept. Jack had offered no more than Barbossa would get from killing him and would make him risk more than he could afford to. It would probably end in a mutiny aboard his ship if he lost and survived.

***

Will watched the smoke rise from the candle he just blew out. It reminded him of how quickly life, and with it dreams, hopes, and love, could be taken away from a person, no matter how careful they were. Many ordinary daily occurrences now held morbid thoughts such as these. "It comes with the job, I guess," he said to himself, and what was meant to be a chuckle, but turned out to be a half-sob, slipped out. "Oh, Elizabeth," he murmured, "I miss you so much." He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and thought it was his father but saw Calypso instead when he turned around. She was in the form of a Jamaican woman, the same form she took while she was bound in human form, but he knew it wasn't her true form.

"I understand that it is hard, William Turner, but ye must not despair. Do not take the path of Davy Jones. Continue to do the job you are now assigned with. 'Tis your destiny."

"Being away from her… it's worse than dying. It's more painful than being burned alive."

"An' you know that from experience, huh?" Will looked up, surprised. "You'll be seeing her in nine more years. Today is your anniversary, a day of joy, not grief. Be strong."

Just as he began to be fooled into thinking she was human, she disappeared like the sea goddess she was. He sighed heavily, wishing time would move faster towards the day when he would see Elizabeth, but slow down when he was with her so it would last forever.

"Why is the rum always gone?" he asked aloud, talking to nobody.

***

"I accept your challenge, Jack Sparrow." Jack looked up in surprise, too shocked to even correct Barbossa with _Captain_. He had just been mulling over what plan B, C, and D would be when Barbossa refused, but against all odds, Barbossa had accepted. Elizabeth, still lying behind the bush, had almost fallen asleep in the many minutes Barbossa had spent deliberating before reaching this stunning conclusion. "The weapon," Barbossa continued, "shall be the sword." His crew laughed for what appeared to be no reason. 'Do they really have that much faith in their captain?" Elizabeth wondered.

Jack wasted no time taking off his coat and hat and pulling out his sword. 'Banter,' he thought, 'can come later. I don't want to risk him coming at me while I'm unarmed.' However, Barbossa didn't seem to be pulling and dirty tricks. He took his time removing his coat and hat, folding his coat and gently setting it on the ground, the hand on top of it. He drew his sword in a slow, grand movement, smiling while he did it as though the moment gave him great pleasure.

"I've been waiting many years for this moment, Jack."

"What man doesn't wait on death?" Jack quipped and struck while Barbossa was caught off guard by his remark. Unfortunately, Barbossa reacted quickly and was able to block the strike.

"Trying to trick me? I'll not be so easily dispatched. I've heard hell is a rather unpleasant place, so I prefer to say away for as long as I can." He swung his sword lightly a few times to look for holes in Jack's defense but to his displeasure there were none.

"And here I was, thinking you are easily fooled. I guess I should take more care in the future."

Jack let his guard down for a second and Barbossa caught it. "If you _have_ a future!" Barbossa growled as he swung his sword into Jack's side. Jack's eyes traveled down until he saw Barbossa's sword a few inches deep into his own flesh and watched as Barbossa pulled it out slowly, drawing out the pain. Jack fell to his knees, dumbfounded and unable to hold himself up. Barbossa looked down at him, smug, sure of victory. For the last time, Jack raised his eyes to Barbossa's face.

"I never did look up to you," Jack said, smiling. With a sudden upward thrust of his sword, he killed Barbossa for the second and last time.

Elizabeth hadn't dared to watch the duel, afraid that it might break her. It seemed like not knowing was plenty bad, though, and she could barely keep herself from running out form behind the bush. When Jack called for her to come out she didn't have to worry about restraint anymore.

Emerging from the bushes, she saw Jack on his knees and swaying and Barbossa laying on the ground, dead. Jack's sword, having entered upward through Barbossa's gut and exiting from his upper back, was a gruesome sight of blood stained metal. Once the pool of blood next to Jack was apparent to her, Elizabeth rushed over to him.

"Jack! Oh god, Jack, are you okay?" Her hands fluttered around his face and sometimes to his wound, as though she was going to bandage it, but she was too confused and upset to do anything.

"I'm sure I'm alright, love. Just get yourself out of here before those scallywags that Barbossa called a crew decides to go after you." Talking hurt, and he winced as he talked, a hand reflexively going to his injured side.

"No. I won't leave." Jack looked into her eyes with such gratitude that her tentative statement truly became her decision. Then his eyes closed and his body went limp. She caught him before he hit the ground and frantically searched for a pulse. She sighed with relief when she found it even though it was weak. "No, I'll never leave you," she said, and a hot tear slipped from her eye. A noise behind her caught her attention and she saw that indeed Barbossa's crew was coming towards them. She stood and drew Jack's sword out of Barbossa's corpse, wielding it against them.

"Do you want to fight me? Do you seek to kill the wife of the captain of the Flying Dutchman? Because you'd have to in order to touch a hair on his head," she yelled, pointing blindly back at Jack. She knew she couldn't take her eyes off of them or they'd strike. In a second, their expressions of revenge changed to fear and they fled.

"That's right! Run like the cowards you are!" Elizabeth turned back to Jack and was struck by the same fear as the men.

In front of her stood a woman of ethereal beauty. The woman shone like the moon, for her long flowing gown, her childishly round face, and waist-length hair were all the most stunning shades of silver. The adorable but frightening pout changed to the friendliest of smiles when the woman focused on Elizabeth.

"Do not fear me, lady," the vision sang. The voice was the most enchanting and beautiful voice Elizabeth had ever heard, and it made her feel like a child again. "I am here," it continued, "to save your friend." Without further ado, it placed its hands on both sides of Jack's face and closed its wide, silvery eyes in concentration. Elizabeth watched in astonishment as the wound in Jack's side slowly faded away, replaced with healthy, young looking flesh.

"He shall be as he was before," the creature said as it opened its eyes and stepped back. Now it bore resemblance to an old woman of ninety-eight. "You have a question; you may ask it before I leave."

"Are… are you the Fountain of Youth?" Elizabeth asked.

The creature nodded its head regally, turned, and disappeared.


End file.
